Regulator for brake rigging



June 1 30- w. -H. sAuVAsE 1,764,228

REGULATOR FOR BRAKE RIGGING I V Filed June 13, 1928 I2 INVENTOR. v

Patented .lu'n 17, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM H. SAUVAGE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

ROYAL RAILWAY IMPROVEMENTS CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPO- RATION OF DELAWARE REGULATOR FOR- Application filed June 13,

This invention relates to improvements in regulators for brake rigging ofrai'lway cars, and more particularly to manually operable regulators of the "general type and character and to be used in the manner shown inniy prior Patent No. 1,612,781, dated December 28, 1926. It is'also amodification of that type of regulator illustrated and described in my co-pending application, Serial N 0. 177,365, filed March22, 1927.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of the presentinvention and the objects sought to be accomplished thereby, it may be stated that in present brake rigging now in general use, 'as'the brake shoes and other parts wear in the course of time, the normal clearance between the brake shoes and the peripheries of the coacting wheels gradually increases beyond a certain predetermined desired amount, namely about three-eighths of an inch, and such increase in distance of course requires a corresponding increase m piston travel beyond a certain predetermined normal standard-amount, namely, approximately seven inches. Of course, an increase in the piston travel *results in an increased space in the cylinder; for the expansion of air from the air reservoir and consequently a decrease in effective brake pressure.

It is therefore one of'the main objects of the present invention to provide a simple and practical manually operated regulator for the brake rigging of railway cars, which may be substantially instantaneously actuated thereby to absorb all of the excess travel over and above normal brake shoe clearance and thus maintain substantially uniform piston travel.

A further object is to provide a mechanism of the above character, which will be reliable and efficient under all circumstances and absolutely foolproof in its construction and operation. V

A further object is to provide acompact and manually actuated regulator, which may be inexpensively manufactured and assembled, and easily and quickly installed on present day railway'equipment without material alteration and modification or substitution of parts now in general use.

BRAKE RIGGING 1928. Serial No. 285,172.

Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawing and in part hereinafter indicated in connection therewith by the following analysis of this invention.

This invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of parts and in'the unique'relation ofthe members and in the relative pro-portioning and disposition thereof, all as more completely outlined herein.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully comprehend the underlying features thereof that they may embody'the same by the numerous modificationsin structure and relation contemplated by this invention, drawings depicting a preferred form of the invention have been annexed as part of this disclosure, and in such drawings, like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout all ofthe views, in which Fig. l is an elevational view showing such parts of the regulator 'and associated brake mechanism and car parts as is necessary to understand the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the regulator with a portion of the 'i'e'gulat r housing removed;

Fig. 3 is adetail sectional view taken substantially along line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the regulator in its actuated position.

Referring now to the'drawing in detail and more particularly to Fig. 1, 5 indicates any relatively fixed part of the car frame, such for example the center draft sill to which is rigidly secured as by means of belts or rivets 6, a substantially U-shaped bracket or support 7 provided with a series of ratchet teeth 8 along its'lower side. Supported by this bracket 7 is a housing 10 preferably formed of two mating drop forgings of similar shape provided with projections 11 and 12at the top and bottom, having registering openings whereby the two parts or halves may be bolted or riveted together as shown in Fig. 3.

These two halves provide a centrally disposed chamber in' which is mounted a detent. or pawl 1a held in relatively fixed position by means of trunnions 15. The pawl, of

course, engages the ratchet teeth 8 on support 7 embraced by the housing thereby to prevent a normal retractive movement towards the right when the brakes are applied. Passing thru the lower part of the housing or casing 10 is a regulating rod or bar 16 provided with an actuating handle 17 at one end and an enlarged eye 18 at the other end, whereby it is flexibly connected as by means of clevis or chain 20 with the upper end of a brake lever 21. The end of this rod 16 is provided with an enlarged collar or abutment 22, and adjacent this collar is a notch 23 adapted to receive the pawl 14 when the rod 16 is moved its full limit to wards the left as shown in Fig. 4.

It will be noted that this enlargement or collar 22 normally occupies a position at a distance designated by the numeral 24 from the right hand end of the casing 10. This distance 24 is proportional to total brake shoe clearance of all of the brake shoes on one truck, that is when the mechanism is applied as and in the same manner shown in Fig. 1 in the patent first above mentioned, or in equipment having two regulators, one at each end of the car.

In operation, the inspector grasps the handle .17 and pulls the rod 16 forcibly and fully towards the left. Before the casing moves, the pawl 14 slidesvfreely along the upper surface of the rod 16 and then drops or is forced down into the notch 23. At this moment, the enlargement 22 coaots with the right hand end of the casing 10 and then moves the same bodily towards the left an amount proportionalto excess travel, if such exists. As soon as the handle 17 is released the weight of the brake levers will cause the rod 16 to move towards the right, and the detent pawl 14 will immediately be rammed or forced upwardly into the notch or tooth immediately thereabove in the ratchet 8 and prevent any further retractive movement of the casing towards the right.

The rod 16 continues its movement towards the right until the handle 17 strikes the casing 10, which movement as shown in Fig. 2 is proportional to total brake shoe clearance of one truck, and thereby properly spaces the brake shoes at their normal and desired distance from the peripheries of the wheels with which they are associated and thereby insures proper piston travel. The relative position of the handle 17 with respect to the casing 10 prevents any further retractive movement of the rod, and the entire regulator mechanism thereby constitutes a firm and secure anchor or leverage point when the brakes are subsequently operated either by hand or power brakes. It must be understood that in the embodiment herein shown as applied to truck brake regulators, some stop means must be provided as shown in my patent above mentioned to prevent the disturbance of the normal angularity of the cylinder levers when either end regulator is operated.

When it is desired to replace worn brake shoes and restore the regulator to normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, for example, the handle 17 may be first actuated until the pawl drops into the notch as shown in Fig. 4: and the parts-are held in this position while the casing 10 is bodily moved toward the right along the ratchet bar.

From the above, it will be seen that the present invention constitutes or comprises a simple and practical regulator particularly adapted for the truck brake rigging of railway vehicles. Vith very slight modification, however, many of the features thereof are applicable to a regulator for cylinder levers of a car. The invention comprises relatively few parts, which may be inexpensively manufactured and quickly assembled, and themoving parts are protected from the dust and dirt of the road, as well as atmospheric conditions, but should dust and dirt tend to accumulate within the housing it will sift out'through the vent holes 25 in the bottom. Inasmuch as the pawl is entirely and properly housed, the device is entirely foolproof, and cannot be tampered with or moved out of holding relation except by actual operation.

lVithout further analysis the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without o mitting certain features that, from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute ,essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention, and therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a manually operated regulator for truck brake rigging, in combination, a toothed support, a regulatingrod in parallel position thereto, a regulator casing having a detent housed therein adapted to engage with said support and be held in positive engagement therewith by said rod, said rod having means to permit release of said detent, thereby to permit relative movement of the detent with respect to said support.

2. In a manually operated regulator for car brake rigging, in combination, a fixed support, a movable regulating rod parallel thereto, a regulator casing having a pawl therein adapted to coact with said fixed support and held in positive engagement therewith by said rod, said rod having means permitting relative separation of the pawl and support during the regulating movement of the device, whereby the casing may be moved to take up excess travel of the brake rigging.

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truck brake toothed support, a regulating rod ad acent thereto, a regulator housingtln'u which said rod and supportpass, a holding means-within the housing coactmg with said toothed support and held in positive engagement therewith by said rod, and means at theend of said rod adapted to coact with said housing and move the same bodily'to arelatively new. position-thereby to absorb any excess brake shoe clearance.

4. In a manually operated regulator, in combination, a toothed support, a regulating rod positioned adjacent thereto and adapted to be flexibly connected with the brake rigging, a handle at one end of said rod, and means near the other end of said rod whereby said rod may first have only a predetermined relative movement with respect to said casing without moving the same, a detent in the casing coacting with said toothed support and positively held in engagement therewith, said rod having a notch into which said detent may drop when said means coacts with said casing whereby relative movement of the casing with respect to the support may then take place to absorb any excess travel.

5. A manually operated regulator for the foundation brake rigging of railway vehicles comprising a fixed take up rod having ratchet teeth on its under side, an elongated member adapted to be connected with a brake lover and positioned substantially parallel to said rod, a housing slidably mounted on said ratchet rod carrying a pawl coacting with said ratchet teeth, said elongated member adapted to have a free lost motion sub stantially proportional to brake shoe clearance before moving said housing and then to move the same an amount proportional to excess travel whereby said excess travel is taken up and held by said pawl and ratchet,

6. A manually operated regulator for the foundation brake rigging of railway vehicl s comprising a fixed take up rod, a housing movable along said rod, means in said housing adapted to coact with said rod to permanently take up and hold excess travel, and a manually actuated member adapted to be connected to a brake lever and extending substantially parallel to said rod and adapted to coactively engage said housing after moving a predetermined lost motion distance substantially proportional to brake shoe clearance and then move said housing if and when excess travel exists to permanentl take up and hold the excess travel.

7. A manually operated regulator for the foundation brake rigging of railway vehicles comprising a fixed take up rod, a housing movable along said rod, means in said housring adapted to coact with said rod to permanently take up and hold-excess travel, said permanent take up and holdingzmeans comp-rising a pawl and ratchet mechanism, and a-man'ually actuated member adapted to be connected to a brake lever and extending substantially parallel to said rod and adapted' 'to coactively' engage said housing after moving a predetermined lost motion distancesubstantiallyproportional to-= brake shoe clearance and then move saidhousing if and when eixcess'travel exists to take up and permanently hold such-excess travel.

8. A manually-operated:regulator for the foundation brake rigging of railway vehicles comprising a fixedtake up, rod having; ratchet teeth alongone side thereof adapted to--be secured to a car,- ahousing; slidably' mounted on said ratchctrod; a pawl in said housingadapted to coact ov'tlr said --'lt1l-l1(i3't0 permanently; take up and hold anyyexccsstravel, an operative; connection between said housi-ng and a; brake lever to be" regulate and lost mot-ionfmeans operatively-associz l with said-parts whereby the housing is first moved -a distance proportional-to brake shoe clearance prior to actually;- taking; up and holding any excess traveliwl'iiolrmay by said pawl and ratchet i mechanism.-

9, A; manually operated regulator tor then foundation brake rigging of rail ayv-ehi-clescomprising a vfixed take up ,lO l l1lVlIlggIdt'Cl1'-" et teeth along one side thereof; adapted to be secured to a car, a housing. slidably mounted onsaid ratchet rod, a pawl insaid; housing adapted to coactw-itlr said: ratchet- 1 0 to permanently; take up and hold anyexcesstravel, an-operative connection between said' housing v and a brake lever to be: regulated lost motionmeans, operatively associated with said; partswhereby the housingis moved :a distance proportional to brakeshoe clearance prior to actually takingjup; andp holding any; excess travel which may exist-' by: said-pawl and ratchet mechanism, and a handle connected with one of saidpa-rts 11o whereby the regulatormaybeconveniently actuated- V 10. A manuallyoperated regulator for the foundation brake rigging: of railway vehi cles comprising 'azfixed take up rod'havii'i-g ratchet teeth along one side.- thereof adapted to be'secureds'to avcar, a-housing;slidably mounted onxsaid ratchet-rod, a pawl in said 1 housing adapted '-to'= coast with i said a ratchet to permanentlytake up and hold any excess travel; anoperative connection between'said housing -and"a*brake lever to be"regulated and lost motion means operative'ly associated with said parts whereby the'housin'g is first 5 moved a distance 'p'roportionalto brake shoe clearance prior to actually taking up and holding'any excess travel which may exist by said pawl and ratchet mechanism, said, pawl beingiheldinlocked engagen'ient with 180 said ratchet by one of said other parts except during actual operation.

11. A manually operated regulator for the foundation brake rigging of railway vehicles comprising a fixed take up rod having ratchet teeth along one side thereof adapted to be secured to a car, a housing slidably mounted on said ratchet rod, a pawl in said housing adapted to coact with said ratchet to permanently take up and hold any excess travel, an operative connection between said housing and a brake lever to be regulated, lost motion means operatively associated with said parts whereby the housing is first moved a distance proportional to brake shoe clearance prior to actually taking up and holding any excess travel which may exist by said pawl and ratchet mechanism, said pawl being held in locked engagement with said ratchet by one of said other parts except during actual operation, and a handle connected with one of said parts whereby the regulation may be conveniently actuated.

12. A manually operated regulator for the foundation brake rigging of railway vehcles comprising a fixed take up rod having ratchet teeth along one side thereof adapted to be secured to a car, a housing slidably mounted on said ratchet rod, a pawl in said housing adapted to coact with said ratchet to permanently take up and hold any excess travel, an operative connection between said housing and a brake lever to be regulated, and lost motion means operatively associated with said parts whereby the housing is first moved a distance proportional to brake shoe clearance prior to actually taking up and holding any excess travel which may exist by said pawl and ratchet mechanism, said pawl being held in locked engagement with said ratchet by one of said other parts except during actual operation, one of said parts having a recess into which said pawl may move whereby all of the moving parts may be restored to initial position as when replacing worn brake shoes.

13. A manually operated regulator for the foundation brake rigging of railway vehicles comprising a fixed ratchet rod support. a regulating rod adjacent thereto, a regulator housing thru which said ratchet supportpasses, a holding means within the housing coacting with said ratchet rod and adapted to be held in positive engagement therewith,

and means adapted to move said housing bodily to a relatively new position, thereby to absorb any excess brake shoe clearance, said housing having a lost motion device associated therewith.

14. A manually operated regulator for the foundation brake rigging of railway vehicles comprising a ratchet bar adapted to be secured directly to a part of the car frame, a rod adapted to be flexibly connected to one of the levers oi the truck rigging to be regulated, a housing to which the other end of said rod is secured, said housing being bodily movable with said rod along said support, a pawl within said housing coacting with the teeth on said ratchet rod, a lost motion device permitting said rod to have a predetermined free movement prior to taking up any excess travel, and a handle whereby said rod and housing may be bodily moved to permit a manual regulation of the brake rigging.

Signed at New York, New York, this 24th day of May, 1928.

WILLIAM H. SAUVAGE. 

